Category Archives: wildlands

newmexico, wildlands

Friends of the Monticello Box, New Mexico

Dear Friends of the Monticello Box,

New Mexico Mining and Minerals has announced the public meeting and comment period on the proposed Beryllium exploration permit near the Monticello Box and Warm Springs.

[See mjh’s slides: the Monticello Box in New Mexico]

The question at hand is whether to allow drilling of more bore holes above the beautiful Monticello Box, to a depth of 2000 ft in order to further establish the extent of the Beryllium containing deposit.

What is at stake is the unacceptable risk to the abundant perennial Alamosa River and geothermal warm springs. As we know, impact to the water could devastate wildlife including the federally endangered Alamosa Springsnail which occurs no where else on earth and the federally threatened Chiricahua Leopard Frog. Two others species, the Ovate Vertigo snail and Wright’s Marsh Thistle are critically imperiled. Knowing the extent of the ore deposit only serves to strengthen the sense of entitlement the mining corporation will have to open a full bore mine which will change forever the character of this area. The farming community downstream, the riparian corridor the stream supports and the vibrant and diverse wildlife that depend on it could all be lost to say nothing of the breathtaking beauty.

Please mark your calendar and show with your presence this place is too special to degrade for the sake of profit. We need to fill the room!

Hearing Date: December 1, 2009

Place: Civic Center, 400 W. 4th Street, Truth or Consequences, NM

Time: 6PM

Written comments are also needed by December 1, 2009. Please edit the letter below to add your personal stories and send by US Mail to:

Bill Brancard, Director
Mining and Minerals Division
NM Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department
1220 south St. Francis Drive
Santa Fe, NM 87505

Or by e-mail to:

joe.vinson@state.nm.us Remember to include your name and physical address.

Deadline for written comments is also December 1, 2009

For the Box,
Mary Katherine Ray
Wildlife Chair
Rio Grande Chapter Sierra Club

Sample letter:

Dear Mr. Brancard,

I am opposed to the drilling of additional test holes to search for Beryllium adjacent to Monticello Box, the Alamosa River and the historic Warm Springs. Questions regarding the appropriateness of any mining activity in this location are profound and serious. Even exploratory holes to the depths indicated in the application threaten the functioning of the springs. The hydrology of the area is not well-understood and placing it at risk is foolhardy. The vibrant riparian habitat supports a diverse wildlife community which all depends on the water in what is otherwise very a dry surrounding. Moreover, the federally endangered Alamosa Springsnail is perfectly adapted to the water temperature and chemistry of the Warm Springs which could be altered by drilling. It occurs nowhere else on earth and it imperiled status reflects how easily it could be lost. Evidence of human occupation goes back over a millennium.

The Monticello box and warm springs complex are treasures for their beauty, abundant water and natural and cultural uniqueness. Please don’t allow them to be despoiled. Put a stop to beryllium exploration.

Sincerely,

Don’t forget to include your name and address.

wildlands

Parks, Green Spaces Protect Your Health

 Parks, Green Spaces Protect Your Health

Oct. 14, 2009 — There is more evidence that living near parks, woods, or other green spaces may improve your mental and physical health.

Close proximity to green spaces was associated with less depression, anxiety, and other health problems in a newly published study. The relationship was strongest for children and people with low incomes.

The research is not the first to suggest that green spaces help keep people healthy, but it is the first to assess their impact on specific health conditions.

Investigators in the Netherlands examined patient health records from medical practices throughout the country. Using postal codes, they were also able to determine the percentage of green space existing within about 2 miles of each patient’s home.

"The strongest associations we saw between green space and health occurred within a 1 kilometer [0.6 mile] radius of the home," study researcher Jolanda Maas, PhD, of Amsterdam’s VU University tells WebMD. …

Parks, Green Spaces Protect Your Health

newmexico, wildlands

» Doña Ana County Wilderness Bill Introduced! — New Mexico Wilderness Alliance »

New Mexico’s most recent Wilderness designation was the Ojito, northwest of Albuquerque. Ojito was the first Wilderness in over 20 years. It’s wonderful we might not have to wait so long for another.

» Doña Ana County Wilderness Bill Introduced! — New Mexico Wilderness Alliance » 

Sportsmen, business owners, conservationists, local elected officials and other community members hailed the introduction today of The Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks Wilderness Act, by Senator Jeff Bingaman and Senator Tom Udall. The measure will protect nearly 400,000 acres of public land in Dona Ana County, by designating 271,050 acres as wilderness and creating a 109,600-acre National Conservation Area around the Organ and Doña Ana Mountains and parts of Broad Canyon.

» Doña Ana County Wilderness Bill Introduced! — New Mexico Wilderness Alliance »

Senators unveil Doña Ana County wilderness bill | NMPolitics.net – Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics 

The bill does include fewer acres designated as wilderness than the wilderness coalition had sought, but it’s largely in line with the coalitions’ proposal. Bingaman said the areas that would gain protection “boast caves, limestone cliffs and winding canyons that draw visitors to Doña Ana County.”

“To that end, it is my hope that it will also help promote tourism and economic development in the region,” Bingaman said.

Udall said preservation “is the right thing to do — environmentally and economically. Thanks to the cooperation of a wide range of individuals and groups in developing this legislation, I believe we strike the right balance between preservation and progress in a way that will benefit southern New Mexico for generations to come.”

Bingaman chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and said in the release he will schedule a hearing on the bill this fall.

Bingaman’s office also made available maps of areas that would be protected:

• An overall map of the county

• Desert Peaks National Conservation Area

• Organ Mountain National Conservation Area

• Potrillo Mountains Complex

• Prehistoric Trackways National Monument

Senators unveil Doña Ana County wilderness bill | NMPolitics.net – Heath Haussamen on New Mexico Politics

wildlands

45th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

America’s Wilderness Turns 45
President Obama Declares September 2009 National Wilderness Month

Today marks the 45th anniversary of a conservation landmark — the Wilderness Act. Signed into law on September 3, 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson, this historic legislation has been used by citizens from coast to coast over those years to guarantee that future generations will be able to use and enjoy our nation’s wonderfully diverse wilderness areas. The first national treasure that gained immediate protection was New Mexico’s own Gila Wilderness.

President Barack Obama also proclaimed September 2009 as National Wilderness Month today. In a press release from the White House, the President stated:

"I call upon all Americans to visit and enjoy our wilderness areas, learn more about our wilderness heritage, and explore what can be done to protect and preserve these precious national treasures."

Currently, the National Wilderness Preservation System is 109 million acres strong.  Yet that remains less than five percent of America’s land mass.  And when Americans lose 6,000 acres of open space everyday, there is still much to be done.

Here in New Mexico, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance is working to protect over 2 million acres as wilderness so that future generations will be able to enjoy our natural wonders.

“New Mexico is the birthplace of wilderness and we are actively working to ensure that this gold standard of protection is applied to many other unique areas in our state,” said Nathan Newcomer of the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. “With the establishment of September 2009 as National Wilderness Month, President Barack Obama is sending a message that the preservation of wilderness is an important part of his administration."

Protected wilderness in America provides clean air, clean water, recreational opportunities like hunting and fishing, habitat for wildlife, and spiritual wellbeing for those who visit or simply appreciate knowing such wild places still exist.

Recognizing the importance of the Wilderness Act to our nation, the U.S. Senate recently passed a resolution commemorating the 45th Anniversary of this groundbreaking measure.  The resolution boasts that the Senate “recognizes and commends the extraordinary work of the individuals and organizations involved in building the National Wilderness Preservation System; and is grateful for the wilderness, a tremendous asset the United States continues to preserve as a gift to future generations of the United States.”

newmexico, Other Peoples, wildlands

ABQjournal NM: Fight Over Mountain Emotional

peace, mjh

ABQjournal NM: Fight Over Mountain Emotional
By Leslie Linthicum
Copyright © 2008 Albuquerque Journal; Journal Staff Writer

Mount Taylor and its mesas rise from the desert, and its peak— often capped with snow— reaches 11,301 feet. The mountain can be seen from Albuquerque, 80 miles away, and beckons hikers, hunters, piñon gatherers, and skiers and bikers for an annual quadrathlon.
    Members of Acoma Pueblo call the mountain Kawesktima, "a place of snow." To the Navajo it is Tsoodzil, or "turquoise mountain." The Zunis call it Dewankwi Kyabachu Yalanne or "in the east snow-capped mountain."
    Members of those tribes, along with the Hopis and Lagunas, made the application for a traditional cultural property distinction for the mountain.
    The tribes hold the mountain sacred, and it plays a part in their traditional lives. It is a place where their deities live; where shrines are visited; where feathers, plants and soils are collected for religious uses; and where pilgrimages are made for prayers.
    Members of the tribes said they asked for the state designation after they saw a flurry of uranium exploration permits for the mountain and after some exploration activities disturbed religious shrines and ancestral graves.

ABQjournal NM: Fight Over Mountain Emotional

wildlands

Too Close For Comfort : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

by Kurt Soller
Published December 2007

Though protected from development, these ten parks are in harm’s way

Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico
This walled village on the banks of the Animas River was built by the Anasazi six to nine centuries ago. Threat: A coal bed methane well stands at the entrance to the park. Nearby land has been leased for future development.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
A major trade and ceremonial center between a.d. 850 and 1250, this sprawling complex of Anasazi ruins is one of the country’s premier archaeological sites. Threat: Smog from power plants pollutes the air. Recently proposed natural gas pads would mar the views from the visitors center.

Too Close For Comfort : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

Is the West Losing Its Wild? : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

by Jim Robbins

Published December 2007

The search for fossil fuels across the American west is turning some of the nation’s last open spaces into industrial zones and putting protected areas and wildlife risk. Jim Robbins reports on how the U.S. government is allowing energy companies to carve up treasured landscapes—one well at a time

Beyond the country’s national parks is a second tier of wild landscapes that are neither as well known nor as dramatic but are nonetheless beautiful and were also set aside for the enjoyment of the American people. One of them is Largo Canyon, a broad red-and-dun sandstone cleft in the desert outside Farmington, New Mexico.

Is the West Losing Its Wild? : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

This Land is Your Land : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

by Alex C. Pasquariello
Published December 2007

Untangling the federal agencies managing the nation’s open spaces

When it was established within the Department of the Interior in 1946, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) inherited the nation’s leftover lands—175 million acres of the American West that hadn’t been given to states, privatized, or deemed scenic enough to protect. The agency’s mandate to sustain the health and productivity of its land has historically translated to an emphasis on grazing, mining, and drilling. The Clinton administration strengthened the BLM’s conservation ethic, protecting more than 42 million of its acres. The Bush administration took the opposite tack, loosening environmental regulations and shifting the agency’s resources to focus on oil and gas production. Today, the BLM manages 260 million of the nation’s 630 million–plus public acres, and is one of the government’s top revenue generators. Here’s who’s managing the other 370 million acres of your land:

Fish & Wildlife Service
Mandate: To conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats; chief administrator of the Endangered Species Act. Acres Managed: 93 million of the National Wildlife Refuge System. All land is protected from development.

National Park Service
Mandate: To "preserve unimpaired" the natural and cultural resources of its parks. Acres Managed: 83 million in 369 sites, from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. All land is protected from development.

Forest Service
Mandate: To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of its forests. Acres Managed: 193 million in 155 forests and 22 grasslands. Of those acres, 35.3 million are congressionally designated wilderness. In 2001, the Clinton administration protected an additional 58.5 million acres. The Bush administration repealed the move; the case in now being fought in federal court.

This Land is Your Land : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

wildlands

Read It and Weep

1 Comment

The Most Destructive Project on Earth: Alberta’s Tar Sands » Celsias

With oil prices over $100 a barrel this week, the companies involved in Canada’s tar sands must be rubbing their hands in glee. The $26 a barrel cost of processing (compared to about $1 in Saudi Arabia) suddenly doesn’t look so bad. Oil companies who have chosen not to invest may be tempted to reconsider, and that’s very bad news.

The Athabasca tar sands, in Alberta, may be the world’s largest oil reserve. Only the surface sands are accessible at the moment, but if the technology develops a little more, there’s potentially six times more oil there than the whole of Saudi Arabia – enough to last 200 years, say the champions of the project.

But, it’s not liquid oil, and extracting the crude from the sand takes vast reserves of water, a quarter of Alberta’s fresh water. This water is so polluted at the end of the process that it is simply left to stand in huge tailing pools that altogether cover some 50 square kilometres. It’s so toxic that birds landing on the ponds would die. Some places use propane cannons to scare the ducks away; others just rake the dead birds off the surface. As the ponds aren’t lined, waste water leaks into the Athabasca River, polluting everything downstream – lakes, deltas, and the Mackenzie River.

It also destroys the land. Huge areas of the boreal forest ecosystem have been felled and the underlying peat bogs cleared away to expose the sands. At the end of the processing there is nothing but a ‘toxic moonscape’ of earthworks, ponds, and 80 foot high piles of pure sulphur. 5,000 hectares have been destroyed already, and David Schindler of the University of Alberta estimates that in ten years time they will have cleared an area the size of Florida.

The air is not spared either. It takes enormous amounts of heat to extract the oil, approximately a barrel of gas for every two of crude. The total emissions of the tar sands project will soon be equivalent to the whole of Denmark. Acid rain falls all across Alberta and now Saskatchewan too. In the summer, the tailing ponds release carcinogenic benzene. “If the wind is from the north-west,” writes Aida Edemariam of the nearby boomtown of Fort McMurray, “you can smell oil on the air: heavy, slightly sour, unmistakable.”

All of this makes the tar sands ‘the most destructive project on earth‘ (pdf), according to last week’s report by Environmental Defence.

Having read last week that the site was visible from space, I tracked it down on Google. It’s right here if you want to explore it and see for yourself.

The Most Destructive Project on Earth: Alberta’s Tar Sands » Celsias

wildlands

More than 500 people died in ATV accidents in 2006

By JENNIFER C. KERR Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON—At least 555 people—including more than 100 children—died in all-terrain vehicle accidents in 2006. Government safety officials expect the number to go much higher as they receive information from coroners and hospitals nationwide.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that an additional 146,600 people were treated in emergency rooms for ATV-related injuries—more than a quarter of them children.

In its annual report released Thursday, the CPSC said Pennsylvania has had the highest number of reported ATV deaths since 1982, followed by California, West Virginia, Texas and Kentucky. Every state had at least one death attributed to ATVs. …

"The signs are pointing to a very dangerous trend into more than 800 deaths per year," said CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson. The agency is still gathering data as far back as 2003. The report updates CPSC data with numbers from 2006, the latest year that agency staff have analyzed.

In 2005, there were 666 confirmed deaths related to ATVs, and the CPSC estimates the toll for that year could reach 870.

While overall injuries have risen steadily since 1997, injuries to children were down from 44,700 in 2004 to 39,300 in 2006. …

In more than 75 percent of the incidents where speed could be determined, it appeared that ATVs were going too fast for conditions. In nearly 60 percent of the fatalities, riders were not wearing helmets.

Sales of ATVs have declined, down from 912,000 in 2004 to an estimated 759,000 ATVs that were sold in the United States last year.

The Denver Post – More than 500 people died in ATV accidents in 2006

[hat tip to http://cocoposts.typepad.com/]

wildlands

Is the West Losing Its Wild?

Is the West Losing Its Wild? : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com
by Jim Robbins
Published December 2007

* Is the West Losing Its Wild? Is the West Losing Its Wild?

* Federal Agencies Federal Agencies

* Rising Park Fees Rising Park Fees

* 10 Parks in Danger 10 Parks in Danger

The search for fossil fuels across the American west is turning some of the nation’s last open spaces into industrial zones and putting protected areas and wildlife risk. Jim Robbins reports on how the U.S. government is allowing energy companies to carve up treasured landscapes—one well at a time

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/detail?articleId=11646&print=true

Too Close For Comfort : Condé Nast Traveler on Concierge.com

Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico
This walled village on the banks of the Animas River was built by the Anasazi six to nine centuries ago. Threat: A coal bed methane well stands at the entrance to the park. Nearby land has been leased for future development.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
A major trade and ceremonial center between a.d. 850 and 1250, this sprawling complex of Anasazi ruins is one of the country’s premier archaeological sites. Threat: Smog from power plants pollutes the air. Recently proposed natural gas pads would mar the views from the visitors center.

http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/detail?articleId=11649

wildlands

Santa Fe National Forest Travel Management Rule

Santa Fe National Forest needs your
input on the Travel Management Rule.
The Rule is intended to limit the use of off road vehicles
in the forest. This is your chance to have a say on which trails
will be free of noise, exhaust fumes, dust and erosion and which
will be reserved for Wildlife and quiet recreation.  Please
attend the Public Meetings this week. The forest needs your
support!

JEMEZ SPRINGS: Wednesday
August 22nd 6 to 8 PM
Walatowa Vistor Center
7413
Hwy 4
Jemez Pueblo, NM

ALBUQUERQUE:
Thursday August 23rd 6 to 8 PM
UNM Continuing
Education Building
1634 University Blvd. Room
C
Albuquerque, NM

For more information call Craig or Scial at 505-843-8696.
E-mail craig@nmwild.org  or scial@nmwild.org

Powered by ScribeFire.

newmexico, wildlands

Open Meetings on NFS Travel Management Rules

As a way to reign off-road vehicle abuses and excesses, the Forest Service put forth the Travel Management Rule allowing each National Forest to designate what routes are open to motorized travel. The Sandia Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest is having another round of meetings on Tuesday, July 10 in Albuquerque and Wednesday, July 11 in Tijeras. They will have maps showing their proposed route designations. Critical input from those that support wild places and quiet recreation is crucial. If you have questions or comments, please contact Craig Chapman, craig@nmwild.org, 505-843-8696.

Tuesday, July 10th, 6-9 p.m. at the Albuquerque Convention Center in the San Miguel room, 401 2nd St NW Albuquerque, NM.

Wednesday, July 11th, 6-9 p.m. at the Roosevelt Middle School Cafeteria, 11799 State Highway 14S, Tijeras, NM.

Contact Nancy Brunswick at 505-346-3900 (voice), or cibolatravel@fs.fed.us for more info.

newmexico, wildlands

Protecting Otero Mesa

On Thursday, April 19th, a coalition of ranchers, hunters, conservationists and water experts hosted the Otero Mesa Public Forum in Alamogordo. This event in large part was organized by the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance (NMWA). [mjh: this is their email report.]

Almost 200 people from Alamogordo and surrounding communities attended the event to hear about Otero Mesa’s fresh water aquifer, the area’s wildlife and how oil and gas drilling could impact this special place. The purpose of the event was to bring the community together and demonstrate that southern New Mexican’s care about their quality of life, and that a few days worth of oil and gas will NOT take precedence over water, wildlife, and wilderness.

At one point during the forum, moderator, Rick Simpson (a hunting guide and Lincoln county commissioner) asked the audience “who supported a moratorium on drilling in Otero Mesa” so that a thorough study of the Salt Basin aquifer could occur. Everyone in the room expect for one person raised their hand!

The following day, the Alamogordo Daily News ran a front-page story covering the event. This story was then picked up by the Associated Press and ran in several other papers, including the Albuquerque Journal, Las Cruces Sun-News, and Santa Fe New Mexican. Read the full article here: http://www.alamogordonews.com/news/ci_5709469

Friday morning, April 20th, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance brought four of the five speakers from the forum to meet with the Alamogordo Daily News and encourage the paper to editorialize in support of the moratorium. Rancher Tweeti Blancett, wildlife expert and high school teacher Steve West, energy and economics expert Bill Brown, and Craig Roepke with the Interstate Stream Commission all attended the editorial board visit. The outcome was that the next day, the Alamogordo Daily News editorialized in supporting our efforts to call for a moratorium on drilling in Otero Mesa! Read the editorial here: http://www.alamogordonews.com/opinion/ci_5719278

Subsequently, on April 19th, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, requesting that all leasing and drilling be put to a halt so the U.S. Geological Survey, Sandia National Labs, and Interstate Stream Commission could conduct a thorough study of the Salt Basin aquifer. This is tremendous news. Please call Senator Bingaman and thank him for taking the lead on calling for a moratorium but urge him to keep fighting to protect Otero Mesa.

It is because of your letters, calls and pressure to our elected officials that we are gaining real traction in our efforts to protect Otero Mesa. Many thanks! This past week was a real watershed moment in the campaign. Now we must begin to aggressively pressure Senator Domenici and Congressman Pearce. Senator Domenici’s staff has indicated that the Senator may be willing to support a moratorium on Otero Mesa. Please help us to make this a reality- the time is NOW! Please call and fax your letters and comments today.

Senator Bingaman: (202) 224-5521
Senator Domenici: (202) 224-6621
Congresswoman Wilson: (202) 225-6316
Congressman Pearce: (202) 225-2365
Congressman Udall: (202) 225-6190